Nurturing relationships that grow into long-lasting ones is one of our core values at Champaca and bearing that in mind, we are delighted to announce the launch of our new library plans!
Why not just a store? Why a children’s library too?
All of us at Champaca have memories of running through aisles of books at our neighbourhood library – touching, smelling and borrowing books. If we found a copy of The Magic Faraway Tree that we were looking for, it would feel like our lucky day. Summer holidays were spent tucked in a corner, falling headlong into the magic and refuge of books.
Long story short, we wanted to recreate this experience for today’s children — to offer them a break from their screens, a gateway into exciting stories, and a safe space whenever needed. At Champaca, starting a children’s library has been as much of a dream as the bookstore and cafe have. We love libraries for being less transactional, fostering a spirit of community, and creating generations of diverse readers. Here’s hoping that your little ones enjoy our library space, and everything it offers.
Did you know?
- We are a small space but our children’s library has more than 1500 titles!
- We have a diverse range of non-fiction, fiction, and poetry titles, that includes a humongous collection of picture and chapter books for ages 0-12. We also have many board books for our earliest baby readers.
- Many of our picture books are imported Caldecott and Newbery Medal winners and are not available in India.
- Our books are colour coded as per the reading comfort of your little ones.
- Our staff is always delighted to help children with recommendations and even read along with them while lying sprawled on the cushions of the library floor!
Sounds exciting? Take a virtual tour of our library here!
Once upon a time… a slice from history:
Did you know that there were libraries in India even during the Harappan civilisation 600 years ago? Did they have ‘books’ for children? We don't know. But archaeologists have found a vase in the Harappan site of Lothal in Gujarat that seems to depict a Panchatantra story. So it's fun to let ourselves imagine a bunch of children sitting around clay tablets and laughing over a story. One of the earliest libraries, the Great Library of Alexandria in Egypt has an inscription hung that reads,” The place of the cure of the soul.’
There are libraries in prisons, in Antarctica, and even in space!
To become a member of our library, write to us at hello@champaca.in.